I'm not a huge consumer of Gospel music, though some of it is mighty fine. I had several radio jobs that required me to play Gospel music (both white and black) and I ran the board for a local preacher's Gospel show at one. As was usually the case when I was playing music I was otherwise unfamiliar with, I came to appreciate the art form. But, as a listener--over an extended period--my head leans more to jazz, blues, R&B, rock and pop. Gospel, to me, is a lot like Classical. Sit me in a room for an hour listening to nothing but and I'll be tearing my hair out; but one well-placed track will bring me to life, fill my spirit and soul, and, heck, you may even find me dancing and singing along. Take a song like Pastor T.L. Barrett's"Like A Ship Without A Sail". That's one of my favorite tracks of any kind. It will lift you up. It does lift me up. I'm always a happy camper when that one pops up on the shuffle.

So, anyway, I went out on the 'nets to investigate this coming Christmas album with the intriguing title, "Celebrating Christmas In The Antelope Valley". No song clips yet available, I hunted down some recent music from the participants. The album features three artists, a male vocalist, a female vocalist, and a group (I'm assuming a quartet). Each has three tunes and all participate in the record's closing number. E.Z. Patterson is going to get me. I mean that in the best way. His Gospel style is steeped and simmered in the Southern Soul tradition. He's got the kind of smooth, soulful and passionate delivery that'll put you in mind of such legends as Tyrone Davis. Dorothy Cage, at least as evidenced on her recent "Music Is Soul" release, has a more traditional Gospel sound, with a very subtle edge of old-time Jazzy Blues. I wasn't able to find anything from 4 Your Glory, but I'm guessing song samples will become available shortly.

There seems to be a "disagreement" on the release date. Amazon shows the album becoming available August 26 while Selectohits has an October 7 release date. I'm presuming the second to be more likely. Regardless, as my personal Christmas music hunt is--where Gospel is concerned, certainly--more about individual tracks than the full album, I heard enough of E.Z. Patterson to know I'll be needing to add this to my collection. If you're a fan of Southern Soul Gospel, you'll likely want it, too. But, if you're decidedly not a fan of the genre, I'd encourage you not to dismiss "Celebrating Christmas In The Antelope Valley" out of hand. When the song samples become available, I'd encourage you to at least check it out. You might find something, here, that will make your mixtape shine. Hallelujah! Can I get an Amen?

PREviews

I don't know about you, but I want to see that cover art and I want to see that track list before I make my Christmas music purchasing decisions. The earlier the better. That's what we try to do for you here. We'll also try to give you a little background on the artist(s), in case they're new to you.